STONY BROOK, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$APDN #COVID19–Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: APDN) (“Applied DNA” or the “Company”), a leader in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based DNA manufacturing, announced today that it expects revenues for the first fiscal quarter of 2021 ended December 31, 2020, to be in the range of $1.3 million to $1.6 million compared to revenues of $314,000 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The strong sequential growth in quarterly revenues is driven principally by demand for safeCircle™, the pooled COVID-19 surveillance testing program offered by the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Applied DNA Clinical Laboratories, LLC (ADCL), and from sales of its Linea™COVID-19 Assay Kit under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
“Fiscal first-quarter revenues surged over fiscal fourth quarter, reflecting the first full quarter of revenue contribution from our safeCircle program. New client acquisitions drove a sequential improvement in ADCL revenues during each month of the quarter. We believe we are tapping into an unmet need for an accurate, painless, and fast COVID-19 risk mitigation option that can deliver ongoing, consistent, and highly accurate COVID-19 surveillance testing proactively. We expect continued uplift to revenues over the coming weeks as new clients ramp up their testing volumes, including Suffolk County (N.Y.) Government that signed on just two weeks ago with a six-month contract valued at up to $2.0 million, and as we onboard more new clients,” said Dr. James A. Hayward, president and CEO, Applied DNA.
“Interest in our pooled surveillance testing modality is strong and growing. In the months ahead, our ADCL team is intensely focused on increasing testing throughput, developing new COVID-19 assays to detect mutations in SARS-CoV-2, offering expanded services via the Cleared4 return-to-work health safety platform, and client acquisition and retention through direct sales efforts and channel partners,” concluded Dr. Hayward.
These preliminary unaudited results are based on management’s initial analysis of operations for the first fiscal quarter of 2021 ended December 31, 2020, and are subject to review and revision. The Company expects to issue full financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2021 in mid-February.
About safeCircle™
ADCL’s pooled surveillance testing program, known as safeCircle™, utilizes frequent, high-sensitivity pooled testing to help prevent virus spread by quickly identifying infections within a community, school, or workplace. safeCircle provides 24-hour results using real-time PCR (RT-PCR) testing.
Click through to learn more about how safeCircle can help your community, school, and workplace: safeCircle
About the Linea™COVID-19 Assay Kit and Pooled Surveillance Testing
The Linea™COVID-19 Assay Kit is authorized by FDA EUA for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory specimens, including anterior nasal swabs, self-collected at a healthcare location or collected by a healthcare worker, and nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs, mid-turbinate nasal swabs, nasopharyngeal washes/aspirates or nasal aspirates, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens collected by a healthcare worker from individuals who are suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider. The scope of the Linea™COVID-19 Assay Kit EUA, as amended, is expressly limited to use consistent with the Instructions for Use by authorized laboratories, certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) to perform high complexity tests. The EUA will be effective until the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 is terminated or until the EUA’s prior termination or revocation. The diagnostic kit has not been FDA cleared or approved, and the EUA’s limited authorization is only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens.
The Company is offering surveillance testing in compliance with current CDC, FDA, and CMS guidances. The use of saliva and pooled sampling for surveillance testing, which has been internally validated by the Company in compliance with current surveillance testing guidances, is not included in the Company’s EUA authorization for the Linea™COVID-19 Assay Kit.
About Applied DNA Sciences
Applied DNA is a provider of molecular technologies that enable supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping, and pre-clinical nucleic acid-based therapeutic drug candidates.
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The Company’s common stock is listed on NASDAQ under ticker symbol ‘APDN’, and its publicly traded warrants are listed on OTC under ticker symbol ‘APPDW’.
Applied DNA is a member of the Russell Microcap® Index.
Preliminary Financial Information
The preliminary information and estimates in respect of the Company’s first fiscal quarter of 2021 performance set forth herein constitute forward-looking statements, upon which you should not place undue reliance because they may prove to be materially inaccurate. The preliminary information and estimates have not been compiled or examined by the Company’s independent auditors and they are subject to revision as the Company prepares its quarterly financial statements, and as the Company’s auditors conduct their review thereof. While the Company believes that such preliminary information and estimates are based on reasonable assumptions, actual results may vary, and such variations may be material. Factors that could cause our preliminary information and estimates to differ from the information and estimates presented herein include, but are not limited to: (i) additional adjustments in the calculation of, or application of accounting principles for, the financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2021, and (ii) discovery of new information that impacts these results.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements made by Applied DNA in this press release may be “forward-looking” in nature within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe Applied DNA’s future plans, projections, strategies, and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Applied DNA. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to its history of net losses, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, the possibility that pooled surveillance testing and assay kits could become obsolete or have their utility diminished, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis, including whether any of Applied DNA’s or its partner’s diagnostic candidates will advance further in the preclinical research or clinical trial process, including receiving clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies to conduct clinical trials and whether and when, if at all, they will receive final approval from the U.S. FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies, the unknown outcome of any applications or requests to U.S. FDA, equivalent foreign regulatory agencies and/or the New York State Department of Health, the unknown limited duration of any Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval from U.S. FDA, changes in guidances promulgated by the CDC, FDA and/or CMS relating to COVID-19 surveillance testing, disruptions in the supply of raw materials and supplies, and various other factors detailed from time to time in Applied DNA’s SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 17, 2020, and other reports we file with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov. Applied DNA undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events, or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless otherwise required by law.
Contacts
Investor contact: Sanjay M. Hurry, Applied DNA Sciences, 917-733-5573, sanjay.hurry@adnas.com
Web: www.adnas.com
Twitter: @APDN